Blowback The Costs and Consequences of American Empire

The United States is a unique imperial power. In what columnist Charles Krauthammer calls the “unipolar moment,” this country stands as an international colossus. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it dominates the world in a manner not seen for least 150 years, and perhaps much longer.

Although Great Britain once had global reach, with its dominant navy and far-flung imperial possessions, it alone could not impose its will on its most important international competitors—the United States, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia. Eventually, and predictably, it was eclipsed by several of them.